The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group works to help people whose rights have been violated and investigates cases involving such abuse, as well as assessing the overall human rights situation in Ukraine. The Group also seeks to develop awareness of human rights issues through public events and its various publications

Strasbourg, 27.01.2009 – The investigation into the murder of Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze cannot be considered solved until the “instigators and organisers” are held to account in addition to the actual perpetrators of the crime, according to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

In a resolution adopted today, the Assembly welcomed the conviction of three former Interior Ministry police officers for the murder, but said Ukrainian prosecutors should now, among other things:

• vigorously pursue authentification of the so-called “Melnychenko recordings” – in which former President Kuchma and three other senior officials allegedly discuss disposing of Gongadze – with the participation of foreign experts, so that they can be used as evidence in court if necessary;

• pursue other methods of authenticating the recordings, such as interrogating as witnesses those allegedly recorded, and comparing their discussions with actual events;

• investigate how General Pukach, the immediate superior of the convicted police officers and allegedly present at the murder, was released from custody and reportedly able to escape arrest in Israel;

• look into the unclear circumstances surrounding the death, attributed to suicide, of the late Interior Minister Yury Kravchenko shortly before he was due to be questioned in the case.

The reports author Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (Germany, ALDE) said she had done her best to broker an arrangement between Mr Melnychenko, Ukraines Prosecutor General and the US Department of Justice to enable technical analysis of the recordings. Mr Melnychenko had requested international involvement to exclude any “foul play”, she said.